Man Becomes the First Person to Cross Atlantic Ocean on a Paddleboard

Chris Bertish just became the first person to do something pretty incredible. It seems like it’d be impossible, but he crossed the Atlantic Ocean by himself on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP_ with no help or assistance.

Crossing the ocean on an actual boat can be scary enough at times, much less being by yourself, but this guy did it on a tiny paddleboard that isn’t exactly something you’d want to brave high seas on.

To achieve this world record, Bertish crossed 4,500 nautical miles, starting in Agadir, Morocco, on December 6 and finishing at English Harbour, Antigua, on March 9.

The board he used isn’t exactly your typical SUP you’d find on store shelves. What Bertish made the journey on was a 1,360-pound, 20-foot-long custom board. It even came equipped with a small cabin for sleeping and solar panels.

His 93 day journey saw him traveling marathon distances every day. He even managed to break another world record by traveling the farthest solo distance without help at 71.96 miles in a single day.

Bertish didn’t just do this for the fun of it either, he did so with the purpose of raising money to help a number of worthy causes. He has raised well over $400,000 as of today. That money will be put towards charities like Signature of Hope Trust and the Lunchbox Foundation and Operation Smile.

In doing this, his goal was to “raise enough money to build at least five schools in South Africa, provide monthly dividends to feed and educate thousands of children and pay for surgeons to carry out life-changing cleft lip and palate operations,” according to CNN.

“The more time I can spend in the ocean, in any shape or form, the better. I’m a waterman and the ocean is my inspiration. It’s where I truly feel alive, comfortable, content, happy and free,” he said on Facebook.